NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Connecticut College women's volleyball team nearly came back from two sets down against Trinity College on Friday night, falling 3-2 in NESCAC action at Luce Field House.

After dropping the first two sets by 25-20 and 26-24 counts, the Camels rallied back to take the next two by 25-13 and 25-20 tallies. In the crucial fifth set, both teams fought off a pair of match points before the Bantams pulled out the 19-17 final.

Conn's Mila Chan (San Francisco, Calif.) paced all players with a season-high 23 kills and added 11 digs, four service aces and five total blocks. Rae Wartelle (Tacoma, Wash.) tied a career high with 14 kills while Riley Lord (Exeter, N.H.) chipped in eight, and Josie Kelly (Solana Beach, Calif.) fueled the offense with a season-high 47 assists to go with 17 digs. 

Eva Lekovic paced three Trinity players in double figures with 18 kills. The Bantams improved to 10-1 overall and 2-1 in league action.

In what appeared to be a forgettable first set for the Camels, Chan led a late charge that trimmed a 12-point deficit down to four. She supplied a kill and three service aces during the 8-0 stretch, but ultimately Trinity secured set point on a kill by Grace Sullivan.

The Bantams pulled out a tight second set in which neither side led by more than three. Trinity trailed 22-20 but pulled in front with three straight kills by Annette Schlunk. After the Camels fought off a set point thanks to a big kill by Wartelle, the visitors got a pair of kills from Lekovic to secure the set and a 2-0 advantage in the match.

Conn responded by jumping out to a 14-6 lead in the third set. The Camels led by as many as 14 in the stanza as Chan led the way with six kills.

With momentum on its side, Conn got out to another great start in the fourth and led 14-5. Trinity kept chipping away and eventually pulled within two at 22-20, but after a quick timeout the Camels got a kill by Wartelle to right the ship. Chan then sewed up the set with back-to-back kills, setting the stage for a winner-take-all fifth frame.

The final set featured a total of 12 ties, five lead changes and plenty of drama. Conn drew first blood on a swing by Chan, but Chloe Gentile fired right back to tie things up for the Bantams. The teams traded sides with the Camels leading 8-7, and the hosts added a kill by Kelly and an ace from Caroline Festersen (Omaha, Neb.) to go up by three. 

Trinity rallied back to tie the score at 10-10 and 12-12, and eventually took a 14-13 lead on consecutive kills by Lekovic. The Bantams had two chances to secure match point, but kills by Evie Lockwood Mullaney (Needham, Mass.) and Lord kept the Camels alive. Conn then had two chances to close out the match, but Lekovic and Ellie Gordon both supplied answers.

A kill by Schlunk yielded Trinity's third match point of the night, and the Bantams didn't waste another opportunity. Gordon sewed up the victory with her fifth kill of the night, and the Camels fell just short of an epic comeback.  

Taylor Merrifield (Honolulu, Hawaii) led Conn's defense with 20 digs while Katherine Randall (Chicago, Ill.) added 17. Lockwood Mullaney was also huge at the net all night long, finishing with a total of seven blocks.

Conn (7-4 overall, 0-3 NESCAC) will next host Bard College on Saturday, September 28 at 2:00 p.m.